Utah, Arizona State reportedly make decision on Big 12 membership
Utah and Arizona State have formally applied for membership into the Big 12, according to a report.
That’s per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who says Big 12 presidents and chancellors have set up a call to discuss their membership for Friday evening.
Sources: Both Utah and Arizona State have applied for formal membership to the Big 12 Conference, and there’s a call tonight with the Big 12's presidents and chancellors to discuss their membership. Arizona applied and was approved yesterday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 4, 2023
If Utah and Arizona State are admitted, they would be following Arizona and Colorado into the Big 12 for the 2024-25 academic year. Colorado made the jump last week while Arizona was reportedly approved on Thursday.
There was a slight delay in Arizona State applying for Big 12 membership this week, as university president Michael Crow was hoping to remain loyal to the Pac-12. However, following Oregon and Washington’s reported departure to the Big Ten on Friday, it seems Arizona State and Utah have made their final decision.
The Big 12 would be at 16 teams for the 2024 football season after adding 4 from the Pac-12. The league has already added 4 programs as it prepares for Oklahoma and Texas’ exit next fall: UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston.
Official announcements could come as soon as Friday evening.